Health

Mississippi to allow religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations

By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press

Mississippi is starting the court-ordered process of letting people cite religious beliefs to seek exemptions from state-mandated vaccinations that children must receive before attending day care or school.

U.S. endures deadliest 6 months of mass killings on record

By Stefanie Dazio, Associated Press, Larry Fenn, Associate Press

Six months. 181 days. 28 mass killings. 140 victims. One country.

Over-the-counter birth control pill approved for sale in U.S.

By Geoff Bennett, Shoshana Dubnow

U.S. regulators approved the nation's first over-the-counter birth control pill. The FDA signed off on Opill, a once-a-day tablet available by prescription since 1973 that will soon be readily available online and in stores. The move is being applauded by…

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Justice Department to investigate jail conditions in Georgia’s most populous county

By Kate Brumback, Associated Press

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into jail conditions in Georgia's most populous county, with officials citing violence, filthy conditions and the death last year of a man whose body was found covered in insects.

Legacy of redlining linked to poor heart health among veterans, study finds

By Ambar Castillo, STAT

It’s the first major national survey to look at the link between redlining and comprehensive cardiovascular risk, offering the latest evidence of how historical structural racism can affect health for generations.

FDA approves first over-the-counter birth control pill

By Matthew Perrone, Associated Press

U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, a major change that will broaden access for women and teenagers.

Kansas lawmakers botched the drafting of a new anti-transgender law, agency attorney says

By John Hanna, Associated Press

Department of Revenue attorney Ted Smith said in a state-court filing that became public Tuesday that an anti-transgender rights law that took effect July 1 conflicts with another law governing what appears on driver's licenses.

This new partnership is helping the Cherokee Nation preserve plants and culture

By Adam Kemp

Under a new agreement with the National Park Service, the Cherokee Nation will set aside a 1,000-acre site along the banks of the Buffalo National River in Arkansas that is rich with plants and natural resources deemed historically important to…

Kansas must stop allowing trans people to change their driver’s licenses, judge says

By John Hanna, Associated Press

The judge's action is significant because Kansas has allowed transgender people to change their driver's licenses for four years.

New state laws force families with trans kids to seek gender-affirming care elsewhere

By Arleigh Rodgers, Michael Goldberg, Associated Press

For more than a decade prior, such treatments were available to children and teens across the U.S. and have been endorsed by major medical associations.